Crimeline tipsters credited with solving major cases

Earlier this year when two Winter Park High School students were brutally murdered and set on fire near the Cady Way Trail, detectives turned to the community and Crimeline for answers.

The anonymous tip line helped lead Orange County Sheriff's Office homicide detectives to solve the double homicide and bring murder charges against Jesse Davis and Hector Rodriguez.

"We are here as an investigative tool to work in partnership with the community and law enforcement," said Barb Bergin, the director of Central Florida Crimeline. "If you want to remain completely anonymous, we are the number to call."

The anonymous tipster who offered the important information in the deaths of 16-year-old Nicholas Presha and 18-year-old Jeremy Stewart was given a cash reward, but Bergin would not give details about the amount. Generally, Crimeline offers up to $5,000 for information in a homicide and $1,000 in other felony crimes.

"We had a tipster who stayed with us throughout the entire investigation," said Orange County homicide Cpl. Jason McMullen. "Crimeline is a very valuable asset."

A Crimeline tipster also helped Orange County detectives solve the September shooting death of 24-year-old Brandon Benjamin. He was shot during a block party at the Gatherings Apartments, a complex exclusive to college students, near the University of Central Florida, McMullen said.

In the past year, Crimeline's board of directors has authorized roughly $205,000 in rewards to be issued, but only a fraction of tipsters have claimed their cash. As of mid-November, $129,000 had been paid out, Bergin said.

That'sbecause the onus is on the caller. And some tipsters never follow through and get their money.

Because Crimeline receives information anonymously, it has no way to notify tipstersor make sure they get their reward. Tipsters have to call the tip line again to find out if an award has been issued and receive further instructions on how to collect it.

However, Bergin thinks people are using the tip line more to remain anonymous than as a way to make some quick cash.

"Some people chose not to stand out in front their house and write a statement for law enforcement, because they don't want to go court, they don't want to be subpoenaed [and] there is fear of reprisal from whoever the bad guys are," Bergin said.

"At the end of the day, it can be very intrusive in your life if you do get involved in a criminal case, so it's a perfect reason for us to exist."

Crimeline was created 35 years ago and is part of the nationwide Crimestoppers program.

Locally the tip line serves Brevard, Lake, Orange, Osceola, Seminole and Sumter counties but will take tips on any crime and forward them to the appropriate agency, Bergin said.

Each year, tipsters help law enforcement recover hundreds of thousands of dollars in drugs and property. About 83 percent of the property confiscated and 54 percent of the drugs recovered in 2012 have been by the Orange County Sheriff's Office and Orlando Police Department, Crimeline records show.

The hotline — 800-423-8477 — is answered 24 hours a day, seven days a week — sometimes by operators in the Orlando office and other times by a call center in Canada that specializes in taking anonymous crime tips, Bergin said.